The present invention relates to a sprocket retention and chain guide member for a timing chain on an internal combustion engine. Currently on a vehicle engine assembly line, each individual part of the timing drive mechanism must be assembled onto the engine separately. Care must be taken to ensure that the two sprockets and timing chain are installed in the correct positional relationship to each other in order to attain the necessary timing parameters. Thus, a costly and time consuming series of operations are necessary to correctly assemble the timing drive mechanism onto the engine. The present invention simplifies and reduces the operations for this assembly procedure.